When transplanted Lebanon County resident Maureen McGuire was growing up in the Bronx, N.Y., her family showed their Christmas spirit to the world by decorating what they could: the front door to their apartment.

"My younger sister and I put up handmade decorations and things we made in school, and people would actually stop by and say 'you have the best door' in the building," McGuire said.

Now secretary of Newmanstown's recreation board, McGuire gets to demonstrate her knowledge of holiday decorating as a judge for the annual outdoor Newmanstown Christmas Decoration Contest.

Newmanstown makes a big splash when it comes to holiday decorations, and winners get recognized for their efforts.

Lenny and Patricia Ontkos put the finishing touches on a front-porch sleigh at their home in preparation for the Newmanstown Christmas Decoration Contest. (EARL BRIGHTBILL — LEBANON DAILY NEWS)

Residents can enter the following categories: "Best House," "Best Door" and "Best Porch." Three cash prizes are given in each category: $25, $15 and $10. One resident will be chosen for "Best Display Overall" and will receive $50. Entrants can sign up for more than one category.

"If we're driving around and see something nice, we'll tell the people about the contest; we want more people to participate," McGuire said.

The contest has been a part of the community for more than 20 years and, each year, people get more creative.

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Naomi Lawrence, 81, of South Sheridan Road, has been a winner numerous times for her porch and door creations. An organist for the United Christian Church in Newmanstown, Lawrence one year fashioned a realistic organ from vinyl and stationed "little choir people" around it on the porch. This year, she has created snowmen from chicken wire, covered with fleece.

"People look forward to that," Lawrence said. "They ask me in summer already, 'what are you having this year?' I like decorating. Years ago, we did the whole yard. I've gotten prizes many years."

"It's something for the community to do," McGuire said. "We (the recreation board) do a lot for children, but this is something the whole family can get into."

When judging the annual contest, sometimes it's the little added touches that will make a home a winner, but sometimes it's the "Clark Griswold effect," McGuire said, referring to the Chevy Chase character in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," in which Griswold goes overboard in holiday decorating.

Last year's grand-prize winner featured a Nativity scene, a winter scene, lots of lights and music.

"They had the Christmas spirit," McGuire said. "They had all kinds of holiday things. We like to see a nice effort, and when you go past and look at what they've done and say 'OK, they have everything,' you know you have a winner."

The criteria in which the houses are judged are "spirit of the season," "simple elegance," "country/rural holiday theme" and, of course, the "Clark Griswold effect."

"At least, that's what we jokingly call it," McGuire said of the latter. "Some people put up loads of lights, some people have scenes, and that's part of what we look for: consideration for the Christmas spirit."

Even a simple door can shine, exuding a holiday glow.

"We've seen all kinds of things on a door," McGuire said. "Lights that go all around the door, little bells, doors wrapped like Christmas presents."

McGuire recalled an all-encompassing arrangement of the first Christmas that was very impressive.

"It was a really pretty Nativity display; it just had everything," she said. "It had not only the manger and the baby Jesus, but shepherds, wise men, it had the whole story, and we thought that it was really nice."

Husband and wife team Heather Collins and Steve Wittrien are past winners in the "Best House" category.

Collins said the win was quite an honor because of the competition.

"In Newmanstown, we have a lot of people who really get into it and the contest is getting bigger every year," Collins said. "It's getting talked about more. That makes it fun. And there's nothing better than the kids going out and looking at everybody's decorations and coming back to tell you who has the better house!"

Husband Steve is in charge of the lights, a project that will take about three weeks and is dependent on the weather.

"We do the whole, entire house and the yard," Collins said. "The house gets done in white lights, every single part; all the roof, all the windows, the doors, everything is framed in white lights."

A sleigh and reindeer covered in lights graces the front yard, and the family sets up tomato cages so they resemble trees and adorns them with white lights. The real trees behind the family's home are also covered in lights.

"The only problem is, the trees are getting bigger each year!" Collins added.

While they do all the decorating for their kids, Collins said, some rivalry naturally enters into the competition, too.

"There's a gentleman up the street who always wins and they (her family) kind of want to see who can outdo the other," she said. "And the house up the street has lots of lights, too, and music."

Lenny and Patricia Ontkos of West Main Street have been winners in the porch and door categories for several years, but Patricia said that's no reason to get complacent.

"Well, we just never know if we'll win," Patricia said. "I try to have a theme and I try to plan ahead, but sometimes, I take whatever I find in the shed or garage."

Decorating the porch with real pine garland, however, is a must, Ontkos said.

This year, snowmen seated in a red sleigh and a wintry scene complete with evergreens fill the Ontkos' front porch.

"People tell us they drive by to see our decorations," Ontkos said. "It's a nice contest, especially for the little town of Newmanstown."

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